For many years with the Predators, it was Shea Weber’s power and brute strength that meshed well with Ryan Suter’s heady, skating-oriented play. This season, it’s a similar dynamic with Weber and Roman Josi.

With the recently constructed second unit of Kevin Klein and Victor Bartley, however, the Predators have paired similar players.

Both are about the same height and weight, and both boast comparable skill-sets. And they’ve become a solid two-way duo during Nashville’s three-game win streak, combining for five points. They are a combined plus-8 over the three games.

“If you look at Klein, maybe you don’t think he’s strong, but he’s extremely strong. He’s one of the better skaters because his core is very, very strong. He’s able to defend, he can handle weight, he can handle the bigger players,” said associate coach Peter Horachek, who works with the defense during games. “That goes along with Bartley. He handles the bigger players, he handles the smaller players with speed.”

In today’s NHL, most teams have two lines that can score, so having a strong second defensive pair to match up with a second line is crucial.

For a good chunk of the season, Klein’s defensive partner was a revolving door. He started with Scott Hannan and has played with Jonathon Blum and Hal Gill, among others. From Feb. 16-25, Klein was a minus-1 in six straight games.

On March 8, the Predators called up Bartley from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. Klein and Bartley got off to a somewhat uneven start, but they felt more of a bond with each game.

“I think we’re just trying to take it day-by-day to play against other teams’ top two lines and kind of do our thing,” Bartley said. “We’re not going to be the most offensive guys out there. We’re going to think defense first, and by doing that hopefully gain our coach’s trust.”